Dead Space 2
by shewolfspirit
Summary: My story of Dead Space 2. Read and Review!
1. The Colonel and the Engineer

I don't own Dead Space or Dead Space 2. This starts right after the end of the first Dead Space.

**Dead Space 2**

Chapter 1: Goodbye, Ishimura

Chief Engineer Isaac Clarke

My heart pounded in my chest, a symptom of the panic that still ripped me, the visage of Nicole still flickering in my mind. I knew she was dead, that she'd been dead. But that didn't make what I had seen any less real. Or frightening.

Fuck, I couldn't believe she was gone.

With a blood-spattered hand, I pulled off my helmet, letting cool air of the shuttle's ventilation system buffet my face. I settled back into the chair. Tears poured down my face and I tried to choke back a sob.

After a few seconds, I gave in.

The empty space passed by, leaving me to my desperation.

Time passed, endless black space…Finally I could no longer give any time to my desperation and I made my decision. I reached up with a gloved hand and wiped away my tears. I reached forward and manually set the shuttle to dock at the nearest planetary station.

I stood up (God I was so tired); there had to be stasis chamber on this shuttle. The metal strips that made up my armor made it almost impossible to move my tired body. With fingers that felt like pieces of lead, I peeled it off.

I dropped into the stasis chamber; cold air instantly began to fill the chamber as the glass sealed shut. As I slipped into darkness, a shadow crept from the edge of my vision. It leaned in over the chamber and began to drum its dead, rotting fingers on the glass. It looked like Hammond.

Colonel Helen Bryant

"Good morning, Colonel." The lackey stated as he walked into my office. I continued to work on my report; I tried not to let my interest show for the folder the man cradled under his arm.

"What is it?" I asked coldly. I had work to do and I couldn't waste it playing around with this boy. "Oh. You're busy," he continued, "well then I'll get right to the point. You've been deployed." I perked up. Deployed?

Keeping my curiosity contained, I asked, " Deployed you say."

"Yes, ma'am. At precisely 07:00 hundred this morning, a message was received from Brigadier General Carter. On his orders, you will be deployed to one of the Space Stations on Saturn's moon."

"Really, now?" I muttered.

"Yes ma'am. On Carter's orders, you've been deployed to the Sprawl."


	2. Welcome to the Sprawl

**Dead Space 2 **

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Sprawl

Major Helen Bryant

The moment I stepped onto the Sprawl, I was bombarded. After three years on that mouse of a ship, the sheer size of the city was a sight to behold. Brilliant towers glowed in the distant, with Saturn and her rings as the backdrop.

Through the eight inches of glass that made up of the glass of the docking station, I could see a massive dome- an entire fucking planet cracker could fit inside it with room to spare- cradled in arms of glass and metal. Spider-web-like tunnels branched off from every level of the dome; four tram railways extended from each point of the compass. Even now, I could see a least a dozen tram lights zipping along each railway.

"What's that?" I asked. My 'escort' (I didn't know my way around yet) glanced over and replied, "That's the Great Hall. You'll see it shortly, after the supplies are unloaded."

I turned around as the loading ramp descended from the belly of my ship. I strode towards it, with every intention of helping out my crew.

"Major, what are you doing?" Asked the escort.

"Helping my crew." I snapped, slipping into the dim light of the storage bay. On the three-year trip here, I'd done my fair share of work along side the other nineteen members of the crew. I wouldn't stop pulling my weight now.

"But you are a _major,_" the man continued, "you shouldn't and_ will not_ be doing the hard labor. It is degrading for someone of your stature. Your crew will handle it." Now I was pissed, but I kept my mouth shut. For now.

He followed me into the ship, continuing to run his mouth, but I stubbornly ignored him.

The sound of his voice carried back into in the ship and several heads popped up. In their eyes was amusement and pity. The knew that when she stopped talking she was thoroughly pissed.

And they were right.

The first box I came upon was an armory bin. The escort (I never learned his name) never saw the armory symbol on the side of the bin and so continued to run his damn mouth. If he had, things might have turned out differently.

I disengaged the lock and slid open the lid. I reached in and grabbed the tool which laid there. It was far to big for a pistol.

The man grabbed my arm and that was the last straw. I could deal with people running their mouths. But touching me? Oh, fuck no.

In a second flat, I removed the tool from the bin, clicked off the safety and leveled it was his face. Panic flashed across his face as three blue targeting beams ran vertical down his face.

"Do you know what a plasma cutter does to human flesh? I assure you, it isn't pretty." I growled. Sweat broke out on his face and beady eyes darted around, searching for a way out in the maze of bins.

"Plas…Plasma…cutters…are restricted on the Sprawl…" He stuttered. "You're smuggling weapons?"

The ship we'd commissioned had once been a small mining vessel and the cutters were a relics of its old life. But I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of explaining myself.

All I said was, "Get the fuck off my ship." Like a rabbit released from a snare, he bolted.

A few snorts of laughter broke out among the crew and I laughed with them.

I turned my attention back to the cutter; the blue lights indicated that it was loaded. For shits and giggles, I pointed at the floor and pulled the trigger. There was a dull click.

The ammo was bad, which wasn't surprising considering it was over 45 years old.

The cutter itself was in fine shape- a little bit of dust and rust was an easy cleanup. The metal of heavy and sure in my hands- it was a hundred times better than the plastic pieces of shit that they issued these days.

I would have to remember to get some ammo for it- might come in handy.

08:00am

"Ah, good morning, Major Bryant!" Brigadier General Carter laughed I as walked into his office. "Come, sit down. We have much to discuss." The General was a small man, mousy almost. He had a baby-face with darting eyes and a goofy blonde moustache. He was a smart and practical man.

I took my place in a massive leather chair and made myself comfortable. "I don't mean to rush, but why did you bring me all the way out here?" I still hadn't gotten a solid answer from anyone.

"That's what I like about you, Major! Straight to the point!" Carter chuckled. "If you would like a drink, I will be more than happy to begin."

"No thank, you, General."

He looked shaken for a second. Then he continued, "Well, Helen, you're going to be promoted a few pay grades. You're going to take my place here on the Sprawl."

I was taken aback and blurted out, "What?"

"Indeed, my friend. You are hereby promoted to Brigadier General and will run all further operations on the Sprawl."

Me? Brigadier General? When I asked why, he replied, "I can think of no better person who can take my position when I retire, than a practical, level-headed and street-smart Major! You've earned your position!"

He extended his hand and still in a daze, I took it. "Welcome, Brigadier General." When I heard him say, that I felt better. It made it less of a dream.

Brigadier General Carter

How could I give the bitch-demon all the power? _How_? I wanted to keep my city safe and I just gave everything to that power-hungry bitch?

Oh, I could see the evil in her eyes and the deception. She wanted to turn everyone into one of _them. _The evil ones.

….But everything was gone now. I couldn't take it back.

I thumbed back the hammer of the pistol and put it to my temple. Everything would be better now. And pulled the trigger.

Brigadier General Helen Bryant

01:56pm

I hadn't been in my new office for a full day yet before the first shit-load hit the fan. I dropped a massive packet of papers onto the desk as an orderly burst in. They'd done that for the first two hours, before I'd finally cut them off. Damn it, I wasn't even in the office yet!

"Why are you in here?" I snarled, "I said no visitors until three!"

"Brigadier General Carter is dead!" He shouted, ignored my question altogether.

"What? He's dead?"

"Yes ma'am."

"How'd he die?"

"It was a…suicide…" Shit. "What should we do?" I absentmindly rubbed the bridge of my nose.

At the moment, a second man burst in. This one was different from the business-suit orderly. This one was dressed in a RIG.

I turned my attention to him. An engineering failure on the Sprawl far outweighed one dead man.

"What is it?" I asked.

"General, we detected an incoming, unidentified vessel. All attempts at contact have failed. Requesting possible action." A rogue ship could fuck up the entire city.

One dead man could wait.


	3. Incoming

Dead Space 2

**Chapter 3: Isaac Clark **

**Chief Engineer Isaac Clark**

**They are everywhere, pressing rotting….Dead hands against the glass, trying to…**_**claw **_**their way in. Milky, dead eyes stared in, filled with, hate and malice. Rotting flesh slapped against the metal hull with a wet, disgusting **_**thump, thump, thump…trying to get in. **_

**I scrambled away, trying to escape them…trying to escape. Too weak to escape. **

**Major Helen Bryant **

"**Get me a battle RIG." I ordered, turning away from the orderly, to face the engineer. "How long until the shuttle reaches the station?" **

"**We have at least an hour." He replied. Plenty of time to get ready. **

"**Get a team ready. Four heavily armed-guards, two medics and an engineer. We've have no idea what's in there." **

"**Yes, ma'am. If you'll please follow me, I will get you a RIG." I motioned for him to lead the way. **

**Twenty minutes later, my team was assembled. Four guards in black, armed with pulse rifles, the medics in grey protective gear and of course, the engineer I'd sent earlier. He'd volunteered for the job.**

**I rolled my shoulders, feeling the metal strips of the basic engineering RIG settle against my form. I'd dismissed the flashy officer's RIG- this one was more practical. I looked over at my team- they were tense, fidgety. Ready to roll like thunder.**

"**Alright, let's go." Giving them what they wanted. **

**The small gunship coasted out of the air-dock, the engines purring. Working like a champ. If only the whole operation went this smoothly. **

"**Sir," the engineer called, "the boogey is now in radar range and is closing fast." **

"**So, what do you recommend?" I asked or, well, snapped. **

"**When it's close enough, I can active the gravity tethers and latch onto it. It might not be enough to stop it, but it will significantly slow it down." Not good enough. **

"**Anything else?"**

"**Ma'am, not really. This is not a transport vessel." I leaned back in the chair- the gravity tethers wasn't the perfect solution I had in mind, but it had to do. So I gave the okay. **

**The tethers arched across the vacuum, attaching to the hull of the hurtling shuttle. They instantly locked on, and the tethers snapped taunt. The gunship jerked and the tether-anchors groaned, but they held and the shuttle eased to a halt. **

**The engineer eased the gunship around, reeling in the shuttle. As it drew closer, I could see the decrepit condition it was in. The hull was spotted with holes and dents and entire sheets of metal were gone. **

**Behind her, she heard the men donning their helmets. They were going to need them. I pulled on mine as well and clicked the seal, pressurizing the inside of the helmet. **

"**Getting the shuttle in position. Almost ready to board." The engineer's voice crackled over the radio. **

"**Roger that. Move out." I answered. **

**The inside of the shuttle reflected the condition on the outside. Except, in here, it was a lot worse. In the gunship, you could see the light of the Sprawl, took comfort in it, knowing it was there. But in here was different. What light there was weak, pulsing yellow light from the few remaining overhead lamps. The rest was pitch black. Wires and tubes poked from holes in the rusted sheet metal, like tentacles. Like fingers. And in a way that thought was way more creepy.**

**And it was far from quiet. The ship was groaning, like a wounded animal and unexplained thumps and crashes sounded in the narrow halls. The sounds echoed, making it impossible to determine its origin. **

**On the radio, I heard nervous whispering. I shook my head, trying to dispel the creepy feeling and for the most part, succeeded. "What the fuck, guys? You think da big bad shippy is haunted, don't ya? Isn't that right?" **

**That got them going. The four guards took up a protective square around me, the medics and the engineer. Within the points of the square, the medics were flanked by me and the engineer. **

**I raised my weapon, leveling the laser-guides into the darkness of the hallway. It cut through the velvet darkness, yet it threw in more shadows than it dispelled. Shadows danced like mocking demons, keeping step with the light as we moved down the hall. **

**Up ahead was a corner, sharp. Couldn't see anything. Completely black. My heart starts to race, I can feel the tension in my team. We instinctively draw closer together. You don't fear the darkness- you fear what dwells in it. **

**And I was about to find the true inhabitants of the dark.**

**The darkness smothered me, heavy, claustrophobic in the small place. All alone in this place. What I could see was about a foot and a half of pale blue light. **

**Other than that- black shadows. **

**Suddenly someone stood at the edge of the light. Tall. Lanky. Bloody. **

**Elsewhere, in a different world, voices crackled, "Oh, shit, did you see that?" Light arched toward the figure. Cut through it. Gone. **

**What the fuck? **

**A voice whispered, "Did you see that?" Frightened, close to panic. My voice. **

"**Yes, Sarge. What the fuck was it?" Someone croaked.**

**No one answered. No one knew. **

**Shuffling as we moved toward where it had been. A space opened up- it was a ventilation duct. Too small for anything human. Blood dripped from the edges. **

**Fresh, still wet. **

**Yet black and thick with decomp. **

**Our unasked question were answered as a shriek rang through the ship. As if it gave us all the answers. **

**The shriek was met with the crash of breaking glass. **

**No one said a word; no one had to, and as one, we swept in that direction, guns leveled. **

**The thin hall opened up into a emergency dock, with escape pods. Pieces of broken glass coated the floor. The glittering shards reminded me of discarded shark's teeth. **

**Standing over on of the pods was a monstrosity. When we entered it turned to look at us, its mouth falling open in another ear-piercing screech, then a gurgling and more of the decomposing blood sloshed out of its slack jaw. **

**It stared stupidly with its milky eyes, arms slack. Where hands were supposed to be were boney protrusions, like the hands had been snapped clean off and the bone of the fore-arm had grown to a deadly spikes. Its chest and belly was a mass of torn flesh, the black-green intestines falling out of its belly and beneath the thing's ribs were two sacks. Lungs. **

**I watched as those sacks constricted, as it screeched again, more goop falling out of its mouth, flowing over rotting, pointed teeth. It stumbled forward, its feet making wet noises, like boots filled with mud. From its belly, wet, sloshing sounds. **

**I was disgusted, terrified, angered. **

**Someone fired a shot, and one it legs buckled. Then the air was filled with bullets, tearing its flesh. Yet still it came, dragging its body on the floor with its spikes, one leg less.**

**Screaming. My screams. Theirs. Its. **

**Yet somehow, I heard someone else's voice through the screams. I lowered my aim inched right and fired. It arm was cut clean off. It howled in pain, and I answered, cutting off its other arm. **

**Then it was dead, body collapsing. **

**I was shaking and my eyes were filled with tears. Sobbing. My grip on the gun was so tight my hands were aching. **

"**Sarge." the engineer spoke- his voice barely containing his own fears and panic. "Look." The lasers flashed, probing the space between the escape pod and the wall. There was a bundle of rags there. **

**A bundle of rags with arms and legs. A bundle of rags that was very much alive. **


End file.
